The visit from German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the White House tomorrow is said to be the first step towards warming up chilly U.S.-German relations. Merkel is expected to get along well with Bush- she leans towards the right and, being from former East Germany, she is all about freedom. Possibly on the agenda for her meeting with G.W. is Iran and its nuclear programs-both Merkel and Bush disapprove of it and may even bring it in front of the UN. However, German officials say it is too early for such a step to be taken. This visit is an oppurtunity for Merkel to demonstrate the receding tensions about the War in Iraq by announcing the training of Germans to be Iraqi police.

However, nicer relations between the United States and Germany does not equal a reverse of the position of transatlantic relations. Charles Kupchan, a transatlantic scholar and college professor, says, "The climate has dramatically improved, but below the surface the rift remains alive and well. The trend lines continue to be those of fragmentation and disillusion."

Kupchan also states that:

"...the Iraq war is the dividing line - when Germany changed from being a country that followed Washington's leadership "as a matter of course," to instead becoming a European leader increasingly independent of Washington that seeks "to rebuild relations on new terms."

The U.S. and Germany agree on the spreading of democracy, economic development, and fighting AIDS, but have conflicting views on Iraq, the International Criminal Court, climate change, and the US policy on the treatment of prisoners in the War on Terror. German officials say that the Abu Ghraib scandel was the downfall of the image of the United States.

No matter what, Chancellor Merkel has reason to appreciate the U.S. and its role in the world.

"Without US support for [German] reunification, a woman from the east could not be leading Germany today and meeting the American president"